I showed up late to T.T. The Bear’s last night and only caught the tail end of Orca Orca’s last track. I did, however, get to see all of Wild Belle and Tennis; two groups lead by females with distinct voices and retro style. Together, Natalie and Elliot Bergman make Wild Belle, a band that, judging by the name, some would assume play country-folk music. However, with Natalie’s raspy voice, the soulful saxophone, and funky beat, Wild Belle creates a jazzy-reggae sound. Wild Belle is still new to the music world and has little to listen to on iTunes, Spotify,… click headline to Read More
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Equipped with the scattered information of a Facebook event page and a vague post on Last.fm, I made my way to the Northeastern campus and through the labyrinth it presents to any outsider. I was searching for what I hoped to be the free Purity Ring concert I had heard about via Twitter. With the help of several friendly students roaming around campus that Saturday evening, I eventually located the Centennial Plaza right as dusk was settling around 6pm. The scene was nonchalant, with students lounging on a grassy hill and even sitting on some of the lawn furniture. No… click headline to Read More
Two Gallants is one of those bands – you love them, you hate them, or you’ve never heard of them. A two-piece folk rock band from San Francisco, they are currently touring to promote their latest release The Bloom and the Blight. Last night, the Brighton Music Hall was filled with all of your garden variety folk-rock fans: the crunchy outdoors-y types who listen to “steady rollin’” on every weekend hike. The post- Jeff Mangum introverts who awkwardly raise their hands high and “still think the last album was a lot more genuine.” And of course, the bros raising their… click headline to Read More
It’s Monday at midnight and I should be doing homework. As I mentally compile a list of all the assignments I’m ignoring the earsplitting guitar melts my checklist and sends it to stew on the backburner. The small crowd at Great Scott perks up with knowing anticipation. These local music connoisseurs aren’t naïve; they’ve seen this band before and they know they’re in for an energetic set. Reminiscent of City and Colour, the lovechild of Radiohead and Guster, Friendly People makes a genuine name for a local band. With two drum sets, three guitarists and a bass, Friendly People’s six… click headline to Read More
The Royale is a great venue for artists and fans alike: it is large enough to hold a sizable crowd, but is small enough for the musicians to create a connection with their audience- often quite literally, since there is no press/ photo pit separating the stage from enthusiastic fans. These conditions made for a great night of folk-punk, complete with the occasional “dance floor,” as described by a member of the rambunctious Larry and His Flask band. The first opener, Jenny Owen Youngs, was on her game Thursday night. Making sly quips in between well crafted acoustic rock, she… click headline to Read More
There could not have been a better way to start my night at the Orpheum than walking along the Common with a latte in hand. The old-fashioned entrance, tucked away in a side street, displays Boston’s history with ornate masonry and a classic marquee. Last night, it read “Grizzly Bear.” The opening band, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, was not mentioned on the marquee, yet they certainly made an impression on the crowd. Walking into the theater for the first time I was disappointed. The Orpheum has hosted film, vaudeville, opera, and various other live performances, so I should have anticipated assigned… click headline to Read More
All the way from England, Ben Howard appeared at Paradise Rock Club on Saturday night for a smashing performance in front of a fantastic crowd. Ben Howard started out as a prominent surfer at the age of 11. As he grew up, his mom’s folk music influenced his interest in music and he began playing and writing music when he wasn’t catching waves on the beach or hanging out in the sand. When he decided to go to school for journalism, he also began playing music for his friends and eventually for the greater surfing community of England. Due to… click headline to Read More
“What are you gonna write about?” Katie of http://sickofsarah.com/ Sick of Sarah asked me in the bathroom after her band had just finished their sweet set. We had met earlier and I told her I would be writing up a review of the show. I didn’t have a good answer to her question, so I asked her for some help. “Rock and roll!” Rock and roll it is! Sick of Sarah are a five-piece pop/punk band out of Minneapolis who are now out promoting their second album, the excellent 2205. It’s fun, sexy, and in your face. Think old school… click headline to Read More
A band can have all the talent in the world, but if it can’t break through its own majestic bubble to meet the rest of us at least halfway, all bets are off. It would be like putting a brilliant professor with no teaching skills in a classroom; that’s just not going to be a fun class for anyone. Grizzly Bear ( http://www.myspace.com/grizzlybear) have earned critical praise in the indie rock world for their first full-length, 2006’s Yellow House. For me, Yellow House is pretty but boring. While original and technically impressive, it plays like a gorgeous haunted house without… click headline to Read More
This fall will mark one year since I moved to Boston, and somehow, I had never attended a show at the Royale. After trudging down Tremont Street through a drenching thunderstorm and into the club to see Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, I immediately fell in love with it. The concert hall itself has the sophistication of a Victorian theatre, bathed in purple light and festooned with ivory busts of Julius Caesar. Given the sizeable porthole near the main stairwell, I felt like I was aboard some funky ghost ship. The opening act, Larry and His Flask, brought a… click headline to Read More